Favorite Programs

International Business

Do you dream of an international career in business? With our International Business programme, you gain
extensive international experience with classmates from all over the world, strong connections to the
international business world and the opportunity of spending one to three semesters abroad.

The International Business course will optimally prepare you for an international career. The programme is entirely in English and you will form part of a class with students from all over the world.

You learn how to streamline company processes, think commercially and work within a financial framework. Depending on your career motivation and interests, you specialise in Supply Chain Management, Management & Entrepreneurship, Marketing & Sales or Business & Languages. In every specialisation, you learn to write a sound business plan, concentrating on commercial feasibility, financial underpinning and personal planning. You also focus on how to provide thoroughly underpinned recommendations for development to companies and not-for-profit organisations.

You are a citizen of the world, you are open-minded, have an eye for other cultures and you love working with people. Would you like to get to work as a well-educated manager with international experience anywhere in the world? Start your international career with the International Business programme at HZ.

Wondering how is life studying at HZ?

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Programme

You learn how to streamline company processes, how to think commercially and how to add value to an organisation. 21st Century business skills are at the heart of the programme: these are the professional skills many industries require these days. You learn how to write a sound business plan, concentrating on commercial feasibility, financial underpinning and personal planning and you set up your own Student Company. You learn how to provide to companies and to not-for-profit organisations recommendations for further improvement. You do this in an intercultural context in which you learn how to work with and respect people with different backgrounds. The International Business programme is a four-year fulltime bachelor programme taught entirely in English, which is supported by the classes of Business English. Depending on your career motivation and interest you choose one of the four specialisations.

Depending on your career motivation and interest you choose one of the four specialisations: Supply Chain Management, Management & Entrepreneurship, Marketing & Sales or Business & Languages. For all specialisations, you can spend the third year abroad, with one semester at a partner university and one semester of work placement at a company

Specialisations

Supply Chain ManagementDuring this specialisation you develop skills to streamline processes, with a focus on
logistical aspects such as customer relationship management,
IT, resources planning, operation management,
control of good flows and warehouse management.

Management & EntrepeneurshipsAnalysing and creating processes that enable companies to start or to grow is what
this specialisation is about. You develop a keen eye for the
role of personnel within organisations and the interaction
between different internal and external stakeholders. You
learn how to assess market opportunities and to set up a
company.

Marketing & SalesThis specialisation focuses on the main business and management factors that affect a company’s
propensity to offer services or products that fit the demand
of customers and clients. You learn how to use appropriate
sales and negotiation techniques, how to develop a growth
strategy and conduct market surveys in order to assess
market opportunities and competition.

Business & Languages Here you concentrate on multi-lingual business environments in which intercultural
communication is the main tool for achieving business and
management goals. You prepare yourself for dealing with
ever changing business settings in an international context
by acquiring business knowledge and a high level of communicative
skills, not only in English, but also in two other
modern languages (French, Spanish, German or Dutch).

In your third year you choose a minor. With a minor you can deepen or broaden your knowledge and skills. You can follow a minor at the HZ or at another university in the Netherlands or abroad. If you do a minor at one of our partner universities abroad, you can apply for an Erasmus- or HZ Scholarship.

You spend 25% of your studies working at a company of your choice gaining practical experience: one semester in the third year and one semester in the fourth year. We expect each International Business student to spend at least one semester abroad during the minor, internship or graduation. The first semester of the fourth year is dedicated to the completion of the knowledge and skills related to your field of specialization and to preparations for the graduation internship, which you will carry out in the last semester of your studies at HZ. You can also carry out the graduation research anywhere in the world.

Three-year track

This programme is also available as a three year track for students that are highly motivated and equipped for an intensive and challenging programme.

Requirements

Before you apply to the International Business programme, you have to meet a few admission requirements

If you don’t have the appropriate secondary school diploma, and if you are at least 21 years old, you may be exempted from this requirement. The HZ provides the possibility of taking an alternative entrance exam.

Practical information

Next to the tuition fees and cost of living there are extra costs for your study programme (study materials and books). In the first year these costs are approximately 500,- per year. You will also have regularly an activity or excursion. These costs are about €200,-.

After completion of your studies, you can work anywhere in the world. There is an increasing need for well-trained managers with international experience, as such, you’ll be a desirable candidate for companies all over the world. You’ll be able to work in positions such as international marketing professional, international market researcher, export consultant, purchasing manager and logistics.

With a HZ diploma you can continue with a Master’s programme. If you wish to do a Master at a research university in The Netherlands, you may be required to follow a preMaster’s programme.